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Green Your Wedding

There's a new trend that's sweeping wedding land - green weddings. These eco-conscious events extend beyond bamboo wedding dresses and potted flowers and into green rings, paperless or recycled paper invitations, sustainable catering and the list goes on.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can throw a green wedding, check out Go Green In Style. The couple that runs the site says on their about page, "We have taken a fine tooth comb to every element of the modern wedding and questioned how we could make that element greener while still meeting our goals and desires." What an exciting and impactful way to look at planning a wedding!

To get started greening your wedding, check out the checklist for how to throw a green wedding shower.

Have you greened your wedding? Do you know of other sites or tips that can help green a wedding or a party? Post them here!

Party Planning Solo? Here Are 4 Ways to Make it Easy and Classy

It can be hard to throw a party sans help. BUT there are tips and tricks to doing the job well. Here are 4 ways to make throwing a party easy and classy:

1. Send out handwritten invitations
These days you can invite people to your house with a text or an email, but where is the glamour in that? Make your next do classier than that by buying vintage or handmade postcards (Try eBay for these) and jotting down a short note with the details of the event. This will set the tone for your party. Of course, if your party is more of the beer bash variety, by all means use Evite - it's quick, easy and you can still get creative.

2. Set up a DIY bar
A do-it-yourself bar will free you up from serving drinks and give your guests an immediate activity when they arrive. It's best to hire a bartender through friends or acquaintances, but if you don't want to invest in extra hands, place beverages, mixers, glasses, ice and other utensils on a table (or preferably two) so that guests can serve themselves easily. Make a test drink to make sure that the flow is smooth for guests and they can work from one side of your DIY bar to the other. You might also want to have ingredients for a signature drink like a mojito on the bar. Write the simple recipe for the drink on a piece of parchment or fancy paper. Do it in calligraphy, if you can.

3. Serve small, but substantial hors d'oeurves
If you're hiring a caterer for your soiree, send over your own ramekins or dishes, if you have them. That way, the dishes seem like they were made by you. If a caterer isn't in your budget, serve small but heavy hors d'oeurves like quiche or shepherd's pie in ramekins like these from Crate and Barrel. Find easy fancy food recipes at sites like The Nibble. And you can find alcohol pairings at Wisconsin Cheese Cupid - an invaluable resource! Keep your hors d'oeurves to a minimum (just 1-2), but do them well.

4. Localize your decor
Instead of decorating your entire house or one whole floor, pick a focal point for the party and go to town decorating. Consider using candles (NOT SCENTED!!) and one color of a variety of flowers in different sized/shaped vases. No matter what you choose to do, keep it simple so that you can have plenty of time to get yourself ready for the party. Because why throw a bash if you can't enjoy it?

Nifty Gifty: The Purse Hook

If you're anything like me, you'd rather sit on your bag than put it on the floor of most restaurants and bars. However, if you put your bag in your lap or behind you in a chair, it's likely to take a spill onto the floor eventually. Now, some genius has come up with a cure for our handbag woes - The purse hook aka the handbag hanger.

With this handy little gadget, you never have to worry about your bag ending up on the floor again! After a quick Google search, I've found that they vary in price from about $6.99 to $19.99 and come in all shapes and blinged out patterns.

This is a terrific gift for a girlfriend's birthday or bachelorette party. It is small and SO useful! You can find these special little numbers at pursehooks.net or at many other boutiques and online stores. Let me know what you think of the purse hook!

Make Your Next Event Glow with Decorative Lanterns

When preparing for your first event for 2009, consider using decorative lanterns to give the soiree an extra special touch. Whether you're planning a wedding reception under the stars or a birthday bash in your backyard for 50 of your closest friends, nothing makes an evening event glow like lanterns.

Pearl River Market offers them in all shapes, sizes and colors. My favorite is the "Mums Spherical Lantern." If you don't see the shade that you like, buy them in white and spray paint with the color that fits your occasions' decor.

If your party is more small scale, consider buying a string of mini lantern lights and wrapping them around your porch or doorways inside your house.

Win a FREE WEDDING DRESS at the Filene’s Basement Running of the Brides Sale

AtlantaOccasions.com and Filene’s Basement have partnered to give away a FREE wedding dress at the upcoming “Running of the Brides” sale on March 20, 2009.

Lucky ladies who write in why they deserve a free wedding gown, will be entered a chance to win. We’ll pick the top 4 most deserving ladies and AtlantaOccasions.com readers will vote who wins!

That’s not it, the winning brides team will be sponsored by AtlantaOccasions.com and decked out in team spirit gear to make the day-of hunting, easy as pie.

So, bust out your pen and pencils ladies and tell us your sob story. Email info@atlantaoccasions.com, SUBJECT: FREE WEDDING DRESS. We want to change the life of one lucky Atlanta Bride, one discounted wedding dress at a time.

Entries must be received by January 31, 2009. Voting will begin February 5 and go through March 5th. The Winner will be announced March 10, 2009

Secrets to Writing and Delivering Wedding Vows

I recently went a wedding where the bride and groom wrote their wedding vows together and read them aloud. It was so touching and beautiful that my own husband even teared up! That never happens. This got me to thinking about they keys to good wedding vows. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Read all or part your vows instead of repeating them. This will keep you from imitating the intonation of the officiant. This will truly make a big impact on your audience.

2. Speak up so the back row can hear you.

3. Don't write anything disparaging, too personal or that is an "inside joke" because you do have an audience.

4. Print your vows on thick construction paper that fits with your color scheme. Give your coordinator or a trusty friend the extra copies in case anything happens to the originals. Give another copy to your officiant, so they can follow along and know when you're going to finish.

5. Keep it short, most people's minds wander after one minute.

6. And try your best not to cry! This can turn into blubbering and honestly, no one wants to hear that. If you feel your voice crack or know the tears are coming, pause and regain your composure, no one will mind waiting a bit!

Do you have anything else to add? Have a different opinion? Let us know. And email me for a copy of vows that my friends used!!